The Coming of the Past
by Duke Vertigo
Summary: *completed* Aya finds herself once again in the middle of a mitochondrial epidemic. With help from new and old friends she must conqer the new threat. This story has strong language and violent scenes. further summary in my bio.
1. Paranoia

Her eyes opened from sleep with a fright. She couldn't explain it. It was a feeling she hasn't had since 1997. That the was the time she had first learned of her "Awakening." The time when Mitochondria Eve had risen in order to give birth to the Ultimate Being. The feeling had vanished as quickly as it had come.  
  
Aya looked at the alarm clock. It was almost 5 o'clock in the morning. She decided to get ready for work. Still suspicious about the earlier feeling she seized her pistol and made a quick sweep through the apartment to check it out. Her little sister Eve was still sleeping and the other rooms were empty. She hadn't let the pistol out of her sight for the time being.  
  
After a shower she noticed Eve's alarm clock was going off, then it was turned off. Aya began blow-drying her hair. A knock sounded through the apartment. "I'll get it," called Eve.  
  
"No," Aya snapped as she picked up her pistol and got to the door. "Get in the kitchen." She swung the door and pointed the gun. A man at the door did a back flip while drawing a saber in mid-air from an ankle sheath. He landed with a surprisingly soft thud, ready to pounce. Aya holstered her pistol and relaxed. "Damn't Logan, you scared me."  
  
"I scared you!?" he said sarcastically. "If you didn't want a ride you should have said so. Do you do that to your landlord? Aya smiled at the reaction of Logan. "Let's go."  
  
They walked into the parking lot, holding hands, and stopped at a large Dodge Ram. It was black with green flames on the hood and the sides. "Where's your c...?" Aya was struck speechless when she saw the truck bed. "What the hell is this?" She looked in and spotted all sorts of weaponry. "Is that a rocket launcher?"  
  
"Relax, it is unoperational." Logan said casually.  
  
"But that is a machine gun, and a grenade launcher, and a flamethrower!"  
  
"The only ones that work are in that locked tool box?  
  
"Drop me off at the other side of the street. I don't want to pull up to a government building in a truck full of lethal weapons."  
  
They got in the truck and drove away from the apartment building. "Who needs so much fire power anyway?" Aya asked.  
  
"An acquaintance. If it makes you feel better I'll have him remove all weapons. He might even be done with my car." Logan can see this didn't comfort her. "He's an OK guy. All he does is collect."  
  
He pulled over across the street from the M.I.S.T. Agency. "I almost forgot," Aya, said "There's a party after my shift. You should stop by. Meet me on the third floor lobby." With a quick kiss Aya set off across the street and Logan drove off. 


	2. crashing the party

Aya clocked in and headed for firearms to visit Jodie. "Hi girlfriend," Jodie greeted her.  
  
"What's news?" Aya asked.  
  
"The same old boring stuff. Avoid Pierce, his Japanese friend is here again."  
  
"Not Maeda again," Aya moaned.  
  
"Yeppers. He's been walking around showing everyone his first book."  
  
"Pierce wrote a book?" Aya said in disbelief. "Bet that'll be a top seller," she said sarcastically. They both had a good laugh.  
  
Her day was incredibly boring. Pierce had found her while she was sorting through false creature sighting reports. He did not shut up for three hours. He left after Aya got pissed at him for writing about her in a few sections of his book without her permission.  
  
Her shift finally ended. Logan was already in the lobby when she got there. He was wearing old khaki shorts and a navy blue t-shirt. He still had his saber in its sheath around his left leg. Aya wondered how security didn't notice it.  
  
They greeted each other with a kiss. After some small talk they headed down the hall to the party.  
  
The party couldn't be lamer. The food was lousy, the music just sucked, and there were mostly nerds in the area(Pierce was having a great time). Rupert, the head of MIST, sat with Aya and Logan.  
  
"Do you know who started this boring waste of time?" Rupert asked Aya.  
  
"No, I thought you did," she replied. Just then a woman ran through the door screaming. Before anyone could ask "What's wrong," a stream of steam entered through the door, landed with an explosion. Rupert pulled out his magnum, Aya her pistol and Logan, his saber.  
  
As the smoke cleared, a large and lean man stood in the hallway. He had a tight, green, and rubber suit with a mask. The most intimidating part of him was the incredibly large sword and the many others just like him that were still in the hallway. All the men had a single mechanical arm except for the leader. They were the Golem Soldiers. 


	3. trapped

"I thought they were all dead," Rupert whispered.  
  
"So did I," Aya replied.  
  
"May I suggest we leave," Logan whispered. They left where the others exited.  
  
"To the elevator hall," Rupert directed. Surely enough it was guarded by a golem. They ducked out of sight before it saw them. "To the stairwell," Rupert now ordered. Naturally, it was guarded by another golem. They rushed into the nearest office, not sure if it saw them.  
  
Aya went over to the phone on the desk... dead. "Damn it, they cut the lines," she announced.  
  
"This is Johnson's office," Rupert said in thought. "Didn't he always have a cell-phone in his jacket." Logan reached into a jacket hanging on a hall tree. He pulled out a cell and signaled he had it. "I'll call the Swat," Rupert said.  
  
"Only enough juice for one brief call," Logan pointed out.  
  
"The Swat is already here," Aya stated. "They can't handle these guys, remember."  
  
"Who else do we call."  
  
"The military," Aya suggested. Rupert and Aya argued while Logan decided to make a phone call. They both heard the phone beep when he was done. "Who the hell did you call?"  
  
"My mechanic," Logan replied.  
  
Rupert was pissed. "How in the hell is a car junkie gonna help us." The shouting was not a good idea. In an instant a golem knocked the door down. Rupert fired all six rounds and Aya her only clip. The golem collapsed to the ground. Another golem appeared right behind it.  
  
Logan pounced before Aya could stop him. After a tackle he jammed the saber into its throat. He struggled to hold it down as Rupert and Aya left the room. He hopped up and followed them down the stairwell.  
  
They got to the second floor entrance. It flew open and hit Logan, separating Aya and Rupert between another golem soldier. "Aya climb!" Rupert yelled. She hesitated because of Logan was at the feet of the golem, unconscious. Then she saw it move towards her.  
  
She raced up the stairs until there were no more steps. She was on the catwalk around the top of the building. She started to take a stroll. When there was no more catwalk, she looked down. There were many lights flashing. She looked up when she got nauseous from the height. She walked back around the corner and saw a yet another golem in the distant. She turned back against the wall. Footsteps were coming. She was frozen with fright and unarmed. 


	4. he's back

The heavy footsteps were approaching. Aya walked backwards at a slow, terrified pace. The Golem turned the corner. More footsteps, these were moving quickly or there were a lot of them. The golem looked at the oncomers. Then it turned to face them. It light up it's laser sword.  
  
Logan leaped at it, tackling it to the steel catwalk bottom. It was knocked down against the guardrail. A much larger man, wearing a trench coat and was carrying a long-range, semi-auto rifle. Slung over his shoulder was a long barreled shotgun, a sword, and was carrying a bulging duffle bag. He pinned the golem to the guardrail by holding his ankle under the golems chin. Pointing the rifle between the widening eyes of the golem, he fired a three round burst. For insurance, he hoisted the golem over the rail and it fell lifelessly to the earth.  
  
Aya was shaken. She once again had barely dodged death's cold grip. She was stilled frightened, not by golems but the strong, huge, gun-bearing man with the facial expression of a man who had never smiled in his life. Logan was cradling her in his arms. Yet to say a word, the unknown man slung the rifle over his shoulder and offered a hand to Logan. He accepted and lifted Aya up by the waist as he was helped up. "Aya, this is Jerome," Logan finally said.  
  
Jerome was in thought. "Logan, I finished sharpening your sword," he said while taking the long sheath his shoulder. Logan accepted with a small grin. He then opened one side of his trench coat. Aya saw in a holster a .44 calibur magnum, and hanging in the coat was an assortment of handguns. He gave Logan a silenced handgun, then reached into his bag(which Aya saw was full of ammunition) and gave Logan a box of 9mm Bullets.  
  
He handed Aya the rifle he had previously used and a pistol identical to Logan's. She took it reluctantly along with an extra clip and a box of bullets. Jerome then loaded the shotgun. Aya finally got the courage to say something, "who are you?"  
  
"My mechanic," Logan said slyly.  
  
"Rupert told me to get you out of the building." They started walking towards the stairwell, Logan leading the way while playing with his sword. They turned the corner towards the stairwell and discovered atleast a dozen of golem soldiers. One launched a grenade. Logan couldn't get out of the way in time. He was hit slightly by the blast throwing him through the guardrail. He managed to grab the edge before he fell to his death.  
  
Jerome grabbed his hand and Aya started firing with the rifle. As Jerome pulled up Logan a golem raced forward and cut his leg, causing him to fall to the steel and almost lost his grip on Logan who was dangling. He couldn't pull himself up because he was badly burnt. Jerome capped the attacking golem with his magnum.  
  
Logan saw the window in front of him. He shot it with his pistol until it was so cracked it was no longer possible to see through it. "Swing me through the window," he yelled. Realizing there was no other option Jerome did what he was told.  
  
Jerome slowly got up, holding the bleeding gash in his leg. Aya's clip ran out. "Get on the roof and signal a helicopter," Jerome ordered. Before Aya could protest he started firing so loud with two magnums he couldn't hear her at all.  
  
She climbed the near ladder. On the roof she spotted a black helicopter. She started jumping around and making herself looking utterly stupid. The helicopter started lowering. At about ten feet above a man in green jumped down. She recognized him as the golem who was leading all the others in the party. "Time to finish part 2 of our plan," said the man.  
  
"Who are you and what do you mean part 2," Aya declared. She suddenly noticed that Jerome's firing had stopped.  
  
"Don't you remember me? What about all that time we spent together last year, or do you wish not to remember the fighting."  
  
"Your dead Number 9. What about the plan?"  
  
"Death is only for those who give up. My memory was planted into a new body."  
  
"Quit stalling."  
  
"First we capture Eve while your distracted at the party. Then we kill the main threat and the organization it or she came from."  
  
"Your mad! You'll never get Eve!"  
  
"You're right about one thing," No. 9 started laughing hysterically. Aya emptied an entire clip of bullets into him. He collapsed to the floor. She looked up. A man in the helicopter was aiming a machine gun at her. She ran, followed by a trail of bullets. She jumped off the edge and landed on a dead golem which was on the catwalk. She blacked out.  
  
"She was woken by the sound of the helicopter motors. She had had a vision of a young girl being carried away against her will. She staggered into the stairwell. After she went down a few floors she heard a scream.  
  
She burst through the doors. Jodie was trapped by a giant scorpion. She was next to a glass doorway so Aya shot the glass with her pistol in order for Jodie to crawl through. The scorpion turned on Aya. She fired the rest of her bullets at it. She grabbed the box of bullets but she dropped them and they scattered on the floor.  
  
The scorpion grabbed her around the waist with its claw. It's vice- grip was crushing Aya. The stinger was being lined up. A drop of venom was hanging on the tip. It tensed up as Aya braced herself for the blow.  
  
A flash of steel and the stinger fell to the floor. Logan Jumped up on its back and jammed the sword into its spine. It squealed in pain and loosened its grip. "Yuk," Logan said as it melted. "What is this thing."  
  
"A mitochondria creature," Aya replied. "Maybe I should tell you the details of my job."  
  
As she reached the part about the creatures Logan interrupted, "You're telling me you're responsible for these mito-fuckers?"  
  
"You don't understand," Aya begged.  
  
"I should leave you here to die," Logan protested.  
  
"You're not going anywhere," No. 9 said after he snuck in. He picked Logan up and threw him across the room. Logan drew the sword. The weight hurt him but he needed to use it. Logan charged, but was easily blocked by Nine. With a quick move Nine disarmed Logan. Logan grabbed his saber out of the ankle sheath. His fighting style now became like kickboxing, thus giving him a speed advantage. No. 9 was barely able to avoid getting stabbed and was unable to block the many kicks. Logan saw he was off balance and went for the kill. In a lunge he swung the saber at Nines heart. Nine let it enter his arm and shoved the long sword through Logan's heart and out of his back. 


	5. the transfer

Logan collapsed in front of No. 9 as he withdrew the sword. Regardless of the saber in his arm he started laughing psychotically.  
  
"Bastard!" Jerome booming voice came. He fired two shots from his shotgun, connecting with Nines torso. Nine removed the saber and flung it at Jerome. In reaction, Jerome blocked it with his gun, thus knocking it out of his hands. No. 9 charged. Jerome picked up Logan's dropped sword and blocked Nines. They remained there, frozen. Power vs. power, they held each other's position.  
  
Aya was on the floor, holding Logan's limp corpse. His blood was draining onto her white shirt. A tear rolled down her cheek, stopped, and then dropped into Logan's hair.  
  
A concussion wave blasted through the area. Nine ignited on fire, followed by Jerome. Nine raced into the stairwell. Jerome dropped the sword and ran the opposite way. Soon an explosion sounded. The fire had reached Jerome's ammo bag.  
  
Aya was dizzy. She started shaking, or she thought she did. Logan started seizing. Aya froze. Logan, in a trans-like state, got up and stood there. He was suddenly covered in a blue mist. He collapsed back to the floor. Aya crawled over to him. She put her ear to his chest. It was beating.  
  
Logan eyes started blinking rapidly. Aya hugged him. "Well I like you too," Logan said. Aya noticed something peculiar. She lifted up his shirt (what was left of it) and saw no wound and no burns. "Aya, this is hardly the time," Logan said sarcastically. She glared at him.  
  
"Have you ever done that before?" Aya asked.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Logan, you revived yourself from the dead."  
  
"Usually it's referred to as getting knocked out."  
  
"Then what happened to your burns?" Logan didn't answer. The shotgun lying on the ground caught his eye. He picked this up, the sword, and the saber.  
  
"This is Jerome's, where is he?" Logan asked while examining the gun.  
  
Aya sighed. "Everyone in the area ignited on fired when my powers transferred to you."  
  
"What do you mean "my powers were transferred to you" Aya."  
  
"I think you have mitochondria powers. I forced your mitochondria to evolve."  
  
"So, about the igniting. Couldn't he extinguish it?"  
  
"Not before it reached his bag."  
  
"So, he's dead," Logan, said gloomily.  
  
"Don't get your hopes up," Jerome came in the hall with Jodie in his arms. She had been burnt and was knocked out. "She said she went blind before she passed out," Jerome said noticing Aya staring at Jodie. "We can leave. I found a radio on a corpse. He gave orders to withdraw. There's no more threat."  
  
"I have to get Eve," Aya pronounced. "No. 9 said they were after her."  
  
Aya told Rupert where they were going. He decided to come along. They went into the parking garage. After the left Jodie with a medic, Jerome tossed Logan the keys to his car. Logan was very pleased. Aya saw the viper and started questioning Logan on how he could afford it. Rupert didn't want to hear them argue so he hopped into Jerome's truck.  
  
  
  
They showed up at Aya's apartment building. They immediately saw a few dead bodies of the tenants. They had all been mauled. The hall was filled with giant rats and mutated snakes. They weren't much of a challenge to defeat them but they were dangerous none-the-less. They got to Aya's apartment. They entered cautiously.  
  
Every room was a mess. Furniture, paper, and everything else were all over the place. The place was deserted. Eve was nowhere to be found. 


	6. the new assignment

-author's note: sorry but the next couple of chapters won't have a lot of action. Not to say their not important but it's mostly explaination. A few scenes may appear humorous-  
  
  
  
Logan brought Aya to his apartment. They didn't talk much the whole time. Aya had cried herself to sleep in Logan's arms while on his sofa.  
  
She woke up in Logan's bed. She rolled over to see his alarm clock reading 9:43. "Shit, I'm late," she said to herself.  
  
Logan was cooking in the kitchen. "morning, I was about to wake you up."  
  
"That would have been nice about four hours ago."  
  
"Settle down. Rupert knows your not coming in. We just need to go talk to him at three."  
  
"Whattya mean we?"  
  
"I guess he needs as much info as possible."  
  
"That means Jerome will be there," she moaned.  
  
"Do you not like him?"  
  
"He's a lunatic. He scares the hell outta me."  
  
"He'd love to hear that," Logan chuckled. He noticed Aya's expression. "On the plus side Jodie has made a full recovery."  
  
Aya thought about the night before, about Eve. She stormed out of the room with tears down her cheeks.  
  
"What I say?" Logan called after her. "Damn!" He set his hand on a hot burner.  
  
She saw Logan had got her an outfit and decided to take a shower. All she wanted to do was lie in bed all day but Logan got her when it was time to go.  
  
  
  
After a short feud with the security guard(Logan wore shorts revealing the saber he was carrying) they entered Rupert's office. To Aya's relief Jerome was not there.  
  
After greeting them Rupert stated "I personally asked Jerome to be here but it doesn't look like he's coming. This could work out since I had Pierce print out his file." Rupert reached into his desk and pulled out a file that was roughly three inches thick. Aya stared in amazement.  
  
"That's not a lot is it?" Logan asked.  
  
"Well, this is your file," Rupert said as he pulled out a file with about a dozen papers in it. Logan cracked up.  
  
"What is all that?" Aya asked.  
  
"It's mostly permits to own and use many different firearms. The guy registered a flamethrower, grenade launcher, machine guns, and about a hundred others," Rupert answered. Logan was yet to stop snickering. "I've marked most of the interesting stuff in here. He passed basic training in the army and is a certified field mechanic. He failed miserably in training to defuse bombs, and he apparently knows how to drive a tank."  
  
"He has knowledge of bombs?" Aya interrupted. Logan laughed outloud. Aya slapped him on the shoulder. "It's not funny."  
  
"Hey Aya, Jerome used to live in Manhattan until February of '98."  
  
"So, lots of people left after New Years."  
  
"Well, he might of left because they stuck him in a looney bin for claiming to have magical powers. Kuniko Maeda was the man who signed him out."  
  
Aya went into deep thought as Logan was laughing histerically. "He has mitochondria powers, like Logan," Aya said.  
  
"What! Logan has powers. When were you gonna tell me. Now Jerome has them." Rupert was pissed because of the lack of information.  
  
"Don't worry, I don't have powers. I don't even know how she thinks Jerome has these powers that don't exist."  
  
"You do have powers and Jerome has them or he would have combusted."  
  
"She's got a point Logan."  
  
"She also said Jerome was blown up after he was set on fire by No.9 when the flame reached his ammo."  
  
"You do have powers Logan," Aya protested.  
  
"No he doesn't and neither do I," Jerome said as he entered.  
  
"Then how do you explain that gash on your leg," Aya questioned. "That was deep enough for you to bleed to death in twenty minutes. On the next time I saw you, you didn't even limp."  
  
"We'll if you do have powers it will be a great advantage on Aya's next assignment," Rupert said as he casually slipped the file back into his desk.  
  
"What's my assignment?" Aya asked.  
  
"Well, an unregistered helicopter was tracked by satellite until it landed in North Dakota. It landed in a small village until the satellite was jammed. The FBI tried to send men in but all ignited when they got to close. There is a barrier protecting the village."  
  
"Quit talking this jibba-jabba about people being forced to combust," Logan demanded. Aya glared at him.  
  
"This is all great but I need to go," Jerome said as he left the door.  
  
"I don't see why you don't like that guy," Logan joked.  
  
"Are we basically up against what we were last year?"  
  
"I'm afraid this is more complicated," Rupert answered.  
  
"Then I need to teach Logan how to use his powers." They were out the door before Rupert could stop them.  
  
  
  
"Alrighty then, this will be very entertaining since it is starring the lovely Aya Brea," Pierce said over the intercom. Aya ignored him and Logan flipped him off.  
  
"Logan, you will need to concentrate your energy." Aya faced her hand towards the wall. A fireball suddenly launched out of her hand and hit the wall.  
  
"Shit!" Logan screamed while starring at the smoking wall. Pierce was laughing over the intercom. Logan flipped him off again.  
  
"Try it."  
  
Logan faced the wall. He concentrated as hard as he could. His hand ignited into fire. "Shit!" He ran around the room flailing his arm which seemed only to make the flame larger until he ran into the wall and collapsed. The fire went out. His arm was perfectly fine.  
  
"Believe me now?" Aya asked. Logan nodded. We're gonna need some help from Jerome. Let's go find Maeda." She left the range.  
  
"Wait, who the hell is Maeda?" Logan called after her. 


	7. preperation

"Where's Meada?" Aya demanded of Pierce.  
  
"The lab," he answered.  
  
"Get him here."  
  
"Who's Maeda," Logan asked as he entered. Pierce dialed the phone.  
  
"The guy who got Jerome out of the nut house."  
  
"Who's Jerome?" Pierce asked as he hung the phone up.  
  
"A psychopathic, gun handling mechanic," Aya said. She grinned at the stunned look on Pierce's face.  
  
"She exaggerates. He isn't a mechanic, he's a construction worker. You should see him dance twelve stories high on an i-beam. Actually, I think he was drunk when he did that," Logan explained.  
  
"Where did you get this guy?" Pierce asked.  
  
"Where did you meet him?" Aya asked.  
  
Logan sighed. "He beat me in a street race about five months ago."  
  
"You lost to him when all he has is a truck," Aya laughed to herself.  
  
"No, he used a Viper, my Viper."  
  
"So that's how you could afford it."  
  
Just then Jodie entered. "Is he here, my hero, is he here?"  
  
"Who are you talking about?" Aya asked.  
  
"That dude who saved my life...Jerome." Jodie started talking very fast. "He's real nice. We're probably gonna get married. He's so handsome and nice and and and nice and, well he is gonna be my husband. We're gonna live together in a nice house with good friends. It's like it is out of a story book."  
  
"Have you even seen the guy?" Aya asked.  
  
"Well, no." Aya started laughing hysterically. "What's so funny?"  
  
"You'll see." She took a moment to stop snickering. "You should come with us to meet him."  
  
"Yay!" Maeda entered the room.  
  
"Time to go," Aya said.  
  
"Yay again," Jodie squealed.  
  
"Where are we going?" Maeda asked. No one answered. Aya got into Jodie's car and Maeda got into Logan's.  
  
  
  
Logan led them to a small house and pulled into the driveway. Jerome was working on his truck. Logan walked up to him followed by a very eager Jodie. Kuniko(Maeda) recognized Jerome and refused to leave the car despite Aya's encouragement.  
  
Jodie couldn't hold back any longer. She ran up to Jerome and hugged him as hard as she could while chanting "thank you thank you ..." Jerome acted like she wasn't even there. He didn't even lift his head. He kept working on the truck. Aya rushed over to pry Jodie off of Jerome in case he would retaliate and hurt her.  
  
Jodie felt like she hit a brick wall. She expressed love and gratitude and didn't even get him to look at her. She slouched back to her car and drove off, tears rolling down her cheek.  
  
"What's wrong with the truck?" Logan asked after Jodie was out of sight.  
  
"Gas mileage sucks." He looked up. He started marching towards the viper. He swung the door open and tossed Maeda out of the car like a rag doll. "I told you if you said a word I will kill you."  
  
Aya and Logan raced over to hold him back. This didn't work. He was too strong. Logan tripped him and Aya put handcuffs on him. "I thought you were saving those for me," Logan asked referring to the handcuffs. Aya slapped him across the face. "Ow."  
  
"Ok, you win," Jerome said while giving the handcuffs back to Aya.  
  
"How did you... never mind."  
  
"If you must know, I got deformed in Central Park in '97. I got caught in a zone between melting and burning. I didn't know it effected me until about a month later."  
  
"Ok, we have a cargo plane taking off in an hour. Pack up and we will take your truck and equipment with us. Meet us at the airport in twenty. Ok squad leader."  
  
"No, I'm not the squad leader. You are."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because you're the only one who knows what we're up against." Aya couldn't argue this.  
  
  
  
Jerome had brought two ATVs with him and Logan fell in love. Aya was more concerned about the huge load of weaponry that was in his truck.  
  
Inside the plane while it was in mid-air Jerome started issuing equipment. Everyone got a vest and helmet, headset radios, night vision and infra red goggles.  
  
Then came weopons. Jerome offered a magnum. Logan wanted it bur Aya wouldn't let him have it. Then a grenade launcher. Logan really wanted it and of course Aya didn't let him have it. Then Aya didn't even let Logan see the flamethrower. Logan did get a sub-machine gun and duel uzis along with his saber and sword. Aya took an automatic rifle and a pistol. Jerome put on his trench coat with who-knows-what's inside. Finally, after briefing by a Marine general, they landed in North Dakota. Logan was already feeling cold. 


	8. Arrival

A/N: Yeah man. I am slowly starting to bring back the action in this chapter. It is not as much as before but hey, there is some. Also, I will keep the short glimpses of humor (mostly showing Logan doing stupid stuff).  
  
The cargo ramp lowered and Jerome pulled the truck out. Logan and Aya followed him out. Aya gazed around. The plane had landed in an open meadow surrounded by pine trees. The weather was barely above freezing and Logan was shivering madly. Aya handled the cold well from her previous residence in New York.  
  
She spotted a camouflage tent next to a grove of trees. Outside of it were two jeeps and another one traveling towards them. The sun was bright in the sky. The jeep stopped about ten yards in front of her. The marine inside was busy searching for something in the glove compartment. "Boo Aya!" Came the sudden voice of Pierce who had come out of nowhere.  
  
"Damn it Pierce, you scared the hell out of me. How the hell did you get here?"  
  
"By copter."  
  
Aya looked around. "Have you seen Logan?" She asked. Pierce shrugged. At that very moment Logan was seen in the distance riding the ATV on its back wheels while shouting in joy. "Jerome has shown me a whole new side of my boyfriend," Aya sighed.  
  
"If you don't like it I will always be here," Pierce flirted. The marine came forward.  
  
"Hey good looking," the marine said while making sure his radio was off.  
  
"Can I help you?" Pierce asked in Aya's defense to the rude comment.  
  
"No but Aya can," the marine answered. "You don't look a day older Aya."  
  
Aya finally realized who it was. "Wayne, is it really you?" She couldn't see any features except for his face because of his uniform.  
  
"You bet it is. So does it turn you on that I am now a marine? The police thing didn't seem to work." Pierce was red hot in jealousy.  
  
"It's so great to see..." Aya was cut off.  
  
"You gotta lot of nerve," Pierce yelled at him. "She is trying to work on a serious case and you're delaying her."  
  
"Simmer down now small fry," Wayne barked.  
  
"Who you calling small fry, shorty?" Pierce started pushing Wayne back.  
  
They kept insulting and fighting over who had the right to flirt with Aya until Logan showed up and Pierce backed down. "Jerome said we gotta leave as soon as possible. Hop on, I'll take you to your four-wheeler."  
  
"I ain't riding one of those," Aya protested.  
  
"Okay, you can just ride in the truck with Jerome."  
  
"Fine, I'll drive the stupid four-wheeler." Aya got on Logan's ATV and put her arms around him as they rode off.  
  
"I can't believe she went with that guy," Wayne said to Pierce. Pierce nodded.  
  
  
  
The three had stopped at the tent to get clearance. "Beautiful," Jerome said as he gazed through his infrared goggles. Aya put hers on. She saw a red dome surrounding the North part of the forest where the village was.  
  
Logan wanted to see it too. He screamed in pain as the flash of bright light through his night vision goggles blinded him. "Such a dumbass," Jerome said under his breath. "Aya, lead the way."  
  
Aya sped towards the forest with Logan close behind and Jerome was following from a distance. Aya felt the familiar sensation of her mitochondria going berserk. Logan, who never had the feeling, was swerving the ATV. Jerome was unusually calm.  
  
Aya pulled over. Jerome stopped next to her. "What's wrong?"  
  
"The mitochondria wall is gone."  
  
"Not totally," Jerome said. He held up his hand, which had the fingers slowly melting away. With a flick of his wrist the fingers snapped back into place.  
  
"Aya, can you teach me how to do that?" Logan asked as he stared in amazement.  
  
"I can't even do that but Melissa could," Aya answered in an uncertain tone.  
  
"Who is Melissa?" Logan asked.  
  
"That doesn't matter," Jerome interrupted. "What does is that there are people about a hundred yards in front of us." Both Aya and Logan ducked down and peered in front of them. Two men in lab coats were smoking cigarettes outside of a brick building.  
  
Jerome set three long metal briefcases on the ground and set two smaller boxes on top. He opened a green box revealing two dozen darts and opened a briefcase containing a sniper rifle. He loaded the dart and gave it to Logan and thus doing the same for Aya. He opened a red box revealing two dozen brass bullets, three inches in length. He loaded it into the third rifle and armed himself.  
  
Jerome aimed the rifle. He fired sending the bullet silently flying through the air. It hit the lens of a surveillance camera and made it explode. "Shoot them," He said seeing the panicked appearance on the two men. Logan fired first, sending the man on the left to the ground. Aya then hit the other one.  
  
"Did I just kill him?" Aya asked nervously.  
  
"No, they'll wake in a few hours with a hell of a hangover."  
  
As they entered the village the barrier had disappeared. Aya found a key card off of one of the men that was unconscious. The key card read Arthur Golemsten. She swiped it in the door of the one-story brick building. Logan and Aya entered as Jerome stayed behind to guard the equipment. Inside was one room with a row of computers and another door leading away from it. Ignoring the computers they went through the doorway.  
  
Inside was a short red-haired man banging his head against the wall. "Whoa man, are you a rhino or something?" Logan teased.  
  
The man looked at him, blood pouring down the side of his face. "Guy-sh, help me guy-sh. It hurts guy-sh." Immediately after a wail of pain his skin started stretching. The skin tone turned more pinkish and his arms shrank as his legs grew. A short snout formed on his face and his mouth filled with sharp teeth. The feet doubled in size and all the hair fell of his body. The human/creature stared at Logan as Logan stared back. The creature lunged forward, biting Logan's arm. In reaction Logan fired an entire clip of his uzi into the creatures forehead. It staggered back and was balanced on its hind legs, swaying back and forth. Not sure if was dead or alive Logan drew his sword and took a baseball swing hitting it on the broad side. The creature flew through the nearby window.  
  
A set of hands appeared on the windowsill from outside of the window. Jerome pulled himself up with a furious look on his face. "Damn it, keep it down," he tossed Logan a silenced pistol. "And turn on your damn radios." He disappeared from the window.  
  
Both Aya and Logan felt stupid for not turning on their headsets. "Oh my God," Aya gasped.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I just realized that was a neo-mitochondria creature from when Eve, my sister, had her powers."  
  
"So what? To me a mito-fucker is a mito-fucker."  
  
"I think they have given Eve back her powers." Aya leaned against the wall and slid to the ground with tears in her eyes. 


	9. another shelter

Aya and Logan stepped out into the sunlight. Jerome wasn't around. Logan pressed the button on his headset and said "Jerome, where you at?"  
  
"I'm in the building that I parked next to."  
  
"What're you doin' there?"  
  
"Rewiring an elevator that seems to lead into lower levels. Uh, get the rest of the equipment from my truck and join me."  
  
"Why are you rewiring it?"  
  
"It won't work without a password. I don't know the password so I can't get it to work."  
  
"We'll be there," Logan ended the conversation.  
  
Jerome had already gotten most of the equipment. Actually all that was left was a large metal case and a knap sack. Aya got curious and opened the bag. She revealed many bricks of plastic explosives. She closed it before Logan, who was struggling with the large case, got a glance.  
  
"What the hell is in this case Jerome, chain guns?" Logan said over the radio.  
  
"Actually, there are two," Jerome replied.  
  
Logan followed Aya into the building lugging the case with him. The area was totally dark. Both of them put on their infrared goggles. The room was so full of power generators that they were useless. Aya switched to night vision and Logan copied her. The room was huge. Jerome was not to be seen.  
  
Two three-foot spiders appeared from behind a generator. One had an oversized spinet hanging over it and the other was skinny and sleek. The sleek one turned invisible and the other one tensed up and shot a web, pinning Logan to the ground. He reached for the chain guns that he dropped but the case was locked. Aya fired her assault rifle and annialated the visible spider. Logan was still unable to get up but his hands were free. The sleek spider reappeared and pounced on Logan. I raced over and kicked it into the distance. It charged back at Logan. Logan pulled out the sniper rifle he previously used and fired, sending it back to the wall and killing it.  
  
Aya scanned the area as Logan struggled out of the web. Aya located the elevator as Logan caught up to her. The panel to the left of it was torn off the wall. "Jerome, where are you," Aya moaned over the radio.  
  
"Take two floors down and meet me in the armory. I'm setting up camp." Jerome said.  
  
"Did you know we were setting camp?" Logan asked.  
  
"No." Following Jerome's instructions they went down two floors. The area instantly reminded Aya of the shelter from one year ago. They entered in a corridor made of nothing but aluminum. The floor was nothing but a huge pit with narrow paths leading to electronic doors.  
  
The two of them approached the door marked armory. Aya pressed the button and the door opened. Jerome was inside working on a panel to an electronic vault. "Must you break into everything," Logan joked. He set the heavy case next to a pile of other equipment. Logan then got out a lighter he had apparently found and started playing with it. The room had a computer and monitors displaying what surveillance cameras were showing.  
  
"I see," Aya approached Jerome. "This is nothing but a game to you." Aya snatched the lighter away from Logan. Logan appeared depressed and slouched against the wall.  
  
"Everyone has got to keep their mind occupied. If I see this as a game I look at it as a game. Besides, I am yet to see any real danger." As if on cue, a skinny creature with really long arms and red eyes appeared in the vent above Logan. It grabbed Logan and pulled him through the vent as Aya heard silenced gunshots and screams.  
  
Aya pulled herself into the vent but Jerome grabbed her by the ankle. "For once would you use common sense?" He got on the radio and said "Logan, you alright?"  
  
"Yeah. I saw Eve but she left and locked the door behind her."  
  
"Hold on I'll be right there," Aya saw him on the surveillance screen. He was one floor above them. Jerome went to work on the vault again. "Aren't you comin?" Aya asked.  
  
"You can handle it. I'll secure the area." Aya stormed out.  
  
Aya got on the elevator and went up one floor. She found herself in a narrow hallway with only one door leading out. The door opened and in came No. 9. "Just wanted to thank you for your friend. He'll make a good addition to my elite army."  
  
"Jerome, Logan?" Aya called over the radio. Static.  
  
"Foolish girl," No. 9 bellowed. Radios can't be used on this level." He lunged and Aya dodged his sword. She ran to the door Nine entered through and found it to be locked. Aya turned around to see the flash of Nine's sword as it gouged her shoulder. Aya dropped to the floor. "Time to die." No. 9 raised his sword. Aya felt the knap sack she was laying on. She grabbed the lighter and lit the bag on fire. As Nine's sword came down she dived between his legs. She raced into the elevator. The last thing she saw was No. 9 inspecting the bag as the doors closed in front of her.  
  
The explosion sounded as she was going down. The blast disconnected the cable and she started free falling. 


	10. The Father of the Golem Soldiers

A/N: if you read everything so far, you might have noticed some (in my case, a lot) mistakes. If you need or want an explanation feel free to email me. BTW, thanks for reading.  
  
  
  
Aya instinctively curled up in the corner of the elevator and ducked her head. The elevator, after a brief fall, crashed into the bottom. After rattling around Aya found herself upside down. She sat up and leaned against the elevator door. The door creaked, then crashed to the floor in the hall. Aya thought nothing of it. She was more concerned about what No. 9 had said. There was no way that Logan and Jerome could be captured, she thought. Jerome would fight to the death and Logan, well Logan could probably be outsmarted but in the short time between contact with him was not long enough for any kind of a fight.  
  
She wondered if the radio would work on this floor. She hit the button but nothing happened. She looked inside her helmet to see that the radio was split in two. "Why would Eve run from Logan?" Aya said out loud to herself. She realized it was best to be quiet. They always got along well, she thought.  
  
Aya got up and picked up her assault rifle. She noticed the trigger was missing so she left it behind, along with her helmet and headset. This floor was like all the others, narrow paths and made completely of metal. The wall to her left read sub level seven. She walked to the door closest to her. It read GOLEM TRANSFORMATION ROOM. Under that it read, Authorization Required. Aya took out the Golemsten card and looked at it. She covered the word ten with her thumb and saw the word Golem. She had always figured Bowman had created the Golem Soldiers.  
  
Aya suddenly got a painful headache. Soon it felt like her head was seperating into to pieces. She squeezed her head, as if to put it back together and saw a flash of white light. Aya collapsed to the floor.  
  
Her eyesight came back in a blur. A young blonde girl was being escorted against her will by two Golem Soldiers. Aya recognized her as eve and wanted to help her but she couldn't move. She called out but had no voice. Eve screamed and created a concussion wave, igniting the golems on fire. Eve ran to the near door and found it to be locked. She sat down and watched the two men fall and die.  
  
The door behind Eve opened and a dark haired woman kneeled down beside Eve as if to comfort her. The woman looked up and her brown eyes stared through Aya's gaze. Her eyes flashed green and she let out a familiar, eerie, high-pitched laugh. Aya blacked out.  
  
"Aya. Aya, can you hear me?"  
  
Aya opened her eyes to see Logan. "Thank God your okay."  
  
"Like anything would happen to me."  
  
"How'd you get here? The elevator is wrecked."  
  
"I found a service ladder and took it to the first sub level. Then I saw you on the survielence camera and I climbed down."  
  
Aya nodded. "Have you seen Jerome?"  
  
"I thought he was with you."  
  
"He said he was gonna secure the area. Can you call him?"  
  
"No. All radio contact must've been terminated after the last time we talked."  
  
"I got to check something out." Aya got up and swiped the Golemsten card in the reader. The Golem Transformation Room door slid open and revealed a brightly lit lab. One wall was lined with computers and a solitary desk sat in the middle of the room. Aya gasped at the sight in the corner of the room. A man in a green jumpsuit and wearing a metal mask was pinned to a table surrounded by vital monitors.  
  
Aya walked over to him. He was smaller than Jerome so her theory was incorrect. "Poor soul," Aya whispered.  
  
"Hey Aya, check it out." Logan was holding up a notebook that was open to a page full of writing. "This Golemsten dude kept a log on all the golems he created."  
  
Aya took the notebook and set it down. She started reading the last page that had writing on it.  
  
1 Log on Number 73  
  
This specimen was a great find. Not only was he lean and muscular, there was no need for a cover up for his disappearance because he was hiding from the government and all his files had already been erased. On a more personal note, he had assisted in the destruction of the previous shelter and I lost my job. It gave me much pleasure turning Kyle Madigan into a mindless zombie, who will serve me.  
  
Aya looked back at the body on the table. Kyle was hardly recognizable in the life support and green outfit. Aya forced herself to continue reading.  
  
After the usual dose of pure nicotine No. 73 became dependent on life support. Even though he is basically dead, he still is maintaining his personality. I have seen this before but only in rare cases. Regardless, he will lose his personality once I turn him into more machine than man.  
  
"Sucks to be him," Logan said over Aya's shoulder.  
  
Aya jumped. She didn't realize Logan was reading too. Aya sighed. "I knew this man. He helped me out on an earlier assignment."  
  
"You mean you were at the old shelter mentioned in the log?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What do we do?"  
  
"What can we do?" Aya begged.  
  
"Well," Logan avoided Aya's eyes, "we can take him with us or we can put him out of his misery."  
  
"I can't kill him." Aya stared at her old partner. "Maybe medical science can help him." She walked over to Kyle, who laid lifeless on the table. Aya took off the mask and looked into Kyle's brown eyes. He gasped for air that the mask was supplying him. She put it back on him. "I don't know what to do." 


	11. Code yellow

A/N: If you have read my other fic The making of the parasite eve move, I apologize. I never realized that the movie already existed. It was made in 1997 in Japan. I now claim that that story is based on the game. As usual, thanks for reading.  
  
  
  
Logan pushed Aya behind him. He aimed his silenced pistol at Kyle. "What're you doing?" Aya yelled. Logan didn't answer. He fired at Kyle, hitting the restraint on his left wrist. He did this again to the right wrist and both feet. Kyle, now free, started moving slowly and getting up.  
  
"It's alive!" Logan called out, imitating a scene from the movie Frankenstein.  
  
Aya rolled her eyes. "I wonder how I agreed to ever start dating you."  
  
"Oh, I have a special charm. It makes me look so pathetic you can't help but adore me."  
  
Kyle was up and stretching. He apparently had been pinned up against the table. He gazed at Aya, then at Logan. Nobody said anything. Kyle got up and limped over to the desk with the notebook. "Why does he limp?" Logan asked Aya.  
  
"Bad injury at the shelter."  
  
Kyle scribbled something down on a piece of paper. He held it up for Aya. It said "Are you looking for Eve?"  
  
"Yes, how'd you know?" Aya asked.  
  
"The workers here comfortably say anything here," Kyle wrote. He then wrote "They said Eve was on sub level 5."  
  
A high pitched siren sounded through out the halls. A recorded female voice repeated over the intercom, "Code Yellow, NMC cell breach. Code Yellow, NMC cell breach. Breach in cells 1, 2, 4, 7, 8," It repeated.  
  
"Kyle, where do they keep the creatures locked up?" Aya asked desperately. Kyle held up five fingers.  
  
"Automatic lockdown commencing," the voice now called over the intercom. "Cell breach in 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9," It now informed them.  
  
"Oh man, their all gettin' loose!" Logan screamed. "We're screwed. They'll be all over the place man."  
  
"Logan, a lockdown is starting. The floor will be secured."  
  
"Then how are we gonna get to Eve?"  
  
Aya went into thought. "The elevator door. If the one on this floor was damaged then the one on five will probably be damaged."  
  
"That's even worse," Logan whined.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Then this place will be crawling with mito-fuckers. That elevator shaft leads to the surface."  
  
"Kyle, will you help us?" Aya asked. Kyle nodded.  
  
Logan saw Aya didn't have her rifle so he gave her his sub machine gun and gave Kyle a silenced pistol. Logan didn't trust Kyle with anything powerful because he basically was a golem soldier.  
  
They walked into the corridor, Kyle moving very slowly. He was not used to the life support. Logan and Aya surveyed the area. The coast was clear. Suddenly a metallic clang echoed in the room, coming from the elevator. Everyone stared at it. A large, yellow spike pierced through the top of the elevator. Then another one hit. Both were pulled back up. A barrage of spikes started poking at the top of the elevator until there was a large hole. The sleek spider slid through the hole. It was bigger than a person.  
  
"Shit, these spiders keep getting bigger." Logan shrieked.  
  
"I've seen bigger." Aya gave Logan an uneasy look.  
  
"What!"  
  
"Just shoot the damn thing." The creature took the first wave of bullets and then disappeared.  
  
Everyone went silent. They waited as the silence was broken when Logan started singing under his breath, "Spiderman, Spiderman, Does whatever a spider can." He stopped when he saw Aya's expression. "What, I sing when I get nervous."  
  
Kyle started shooting as the spider reappeared on the ceiling above him. It dropped down and pinned Kyle to the floor. It started slashing at Kyle's torso. Logan rushed over and split the spider in two with his sword. The top half and turned on Logan and lunged at him, but died just before it bashed into him.  
  
"Shit! I hate these things!" Logan screamed and started kicking the torso of the creature. "Why do they melt?!" Logan now was furious that the ooze was all over his boots. "It's nasty!"  
  
"Shut up!" Aya screamed. "I could use a hand here." Aya was leaning over Kyle who was unconscious and severely bleeding. Logan ran back into the transformation room and came back with a first aid kit.  
  
"What do we do with him?" Logan now calmed himself.  
  
"We have to leave him here."  
  
"I made it clear that he comes with us or dies."  
  
"How can you bee sold cold. He'll die if he comes with us."  
  
"How can you be so blind. He is very close to being a cyborg who's only mission is to kill people like us."  
  
"Can't we just check on him every hour or something or something?"  
  
"Fine. We know where Eve is. We find her, knock out the barrier, and rescue Kyle. It shouldn't take more than three hours, right?"  
  
A/N: I know, I have these notes up all the time. Anyway, I had more intended for this chapter but decided to divide it into two chapters. Expect the next one shortly. 


	12. Sub Level 5

Kyle's bleeding had stopped for the time and was unconscious. Aya and Logan had decided that the best place to keep Kyle was in the bottom of the tube that had the service ladder in it. In the shaft Kyle would be secure and would be easy access to them. Naturally sub-level 5 had been blocked off in the shaft and they would have to use the elevator shaft.  
  
Logan pulled himself up through the hole in top of the elevator. He got a set stance and pulled Aya up by her arms. The walls of the shaft were like oversized cheese graters. The aluminum walls were full of holes making it easy to climb. Logan reached sub-level 5 first and scanned the area behind the broken down doors. Aya reached the top and realized the place was empty.  
  
In addition to the lack of opposition the room was different than the other floors. Besides sub-level one all the floors had the elevator place them directly into the corridor. This level had a large hall and tile floors in the form of a checkerboard. At the end of the hall stood two electronic doors, both with green lights above them showing they were unlocked.  
  
"Door No. 1 or door No. 2?" Logan asked.  
  
Aya had found a map in between the doors. It was hand made and unlabeled. "Both," Aya announced.  
  
"Are you crazy?"  
  
"Look," Aya pointed to the map. "This level is huge. If one of us each go through each door all we have to do is pass through a hall, a large room, and then another hall thus arriving in the same corridor." The map was much larger than that. The corridor branched off into seven more rooms and created a circuit of hallways entering and exiting many rooms. Beyond the large corridor was another hall leading into yet another split hallway going parallel and arriving at the same destination. Each hall had doors allowing access to each. Finally the two halls would meet in a single small room.  
  
Logan peered at the map. "Damn, this place is huge. It'll be awhile to search. Should we try and find Jerome first?"  
  
"No. We can't waste any time." Aya was surprised to find herself thinking Jerome was probably already dead and that it wouldn't even bother her if he was. "Kyle might not last much longer.  
  
"If you're not in the corridor in five minutes I'm coming to get you."  
  
Aya ripped the map off the wall and tucked it into her pocket. "I might be ten." Aya teased Logan. She entered the door on the right and the door closed behind her, signaling she was alone once again.  
  
The narrow tunnel was also empty. She reached the end to discover the door had been knocked down. The enormous room was only half lit. The far end was encased in darkness and the lighted end was the scene of a massacre. Blood streaked the floor. Aya looked down in front of her to see the legs and waist of a golem soldier. Ten feet to her right was the upper torso that was the rest of the golem. There were a couple dead men in blood lab coats mangled and dismembered. A peculiar body was laying facedown on the floor hidden underneath a black leather trench coat. Aya instantly recognized it as Jerome.  
  
Aya cautiously approached the body, searching to locate the assassin. If it was still around it was hiding in the darkness. She grabbed Jerome's wrist and checked the pulse.  
  
"Play dead," Jerome whispered before Aya even read the pulse. Aya jumped back, shocked that he was alive.  
  
"Hey, we need you to help us knock out the barrier around the complex. Will you help?"  
  
"Fine now play dead."  
  
"Why?" Aya was confused by the command.  
  
A roar sounded from the darkness. "Ah Shit," Jerome moaned. He got up and shoved a six round grenade launcher into Aya's hands. He armed himself with two magnums.  
  
A large, ugly dog creature stepped into the light. The dog was six feet tall to the shoulder and had three heads. The heads on the left and right were nipping at each other while the one in the middle drooped down. The only sign of life in the middle head of the creature was the constant flow of drool. The head on the left let out a long howl and two more of the same creature appeared into the light.  
  
Jerome didn't hesitate to start firing. He unloaded on the leader with his magnums. The huge dog pounced on him and landed right on him. The dog's enormous feet pinned Jerome's shoulders to the floor. He angled the guns upwards and began firing into the creature's abdomen. The creature collapsed on top of Jerome, struggling to hang on to life.  
  
Before Aya could help him another dog pounced towards her. She dodged it and it flew passed her. She fired three grenades into it's back. The creature went down easily. The final creature charged. She fired a grenade at it and it stopped in its tracks.  
  
"Aya, find the door up there," Jerome said. He had struggled to get half his body free. He tossed her a flashlight. "Lock it behind you."  
  
Aya decided to stay and fight. She pulled the trigger on the grenade launcher again. Nothing happened. The weapon was jammed. She holstered it and started firing at the remaining dog with her sub-machine gun. The creature fired a huge energy beam at her and knocked her to the ground. The automatic gun fell out of her hands and slid across the floor. She got up to go after it but the creature jumped over her and cut her off.  
  
"Go now!" Jerome yelled and began firing with a pistol. Aya rushed over to Jerome and started attempting to pull him out from under the dieing dog creature. Jerome pushed her back. "Make sure you lock the door!"  
  
Aya turned on the flashlight on and raced into the darkness. She quickly illuminated the door and passed through. On the other side of the door she pulled a large lever on the side down to lock it. "Not my fault if you wanna die you bastard," Aya muttered.  
  
"That's not fair," Logan spoke behind her.  
  
Aya jumped. "Stop sneaking up on me!" Aya snapped.  
  
"Why do you get a grenade launcher and I don't?"  
  
"Jerome gave it to me in there. Besides, it doesn't work."  
  
"Jerome? Why did you leave him in there?"  
  
"Cause the idiot wanted to die."  
  
The corridor they were in was just like the map showed. Three doors on the left, three on the right, and one at the other end.  
  
"Uh... Aya, I'm almost of ammo. I ran into another spider. It was the biggest one yet."  
  
"Damn," Aya , sighed. "I don't have more than a few clips for a pistol." She handed him a clip, leaving her with two. Logan, didn't even have a full clip of ammo on him. He had his sniper rifle with only 4 rounds.  
  
"What do we do?" Logan asked.  
  
Aya pulled out the map. "We can go into through the door at the end of the hall. That's where the ladder is. We can go to the armory and also check on Kyle."  
  
"Your so smart," Logan whispered in her ear and kissed her on the cheek. Aya smiled at him.  
  
Something caught Aya's eye. At the end of the hall next to the third door a girl was sitting on the ground. "Eve!" Aya yelled out to her. The girl didn't respond. Aya rushed over, closely followed by Logan. Aya kneeled down beside her and went to stroke her hair but her hand went right through it.  
  
"A hologram?" Logan had a confused look on his face. The image of Eve faded away. The middle doors on each side of the room opened. From each, a single file of Golem Soldiers entered the room. When they were fully assembled, three dozen had formed a large group. Aya tried to open the door they were next to but it was locked. Logan rushed to the door at the end of the corridor. It too was locked.  
  
They set out what little fire power they had on the golems. About 3 died when they went out of ammo. Logan drew his sword and Aya furiously tried to get the grenade launcher to work. The first golem came near and Logan slammed his sword into it's chest. Using his foot for leverage he pulled it out and slashed another golem in the throat.  
  
Despite his best efforts the golems closed and Logan was becoming exhausted. A golem's large arm swung around and hit him in his face, sending him back, away from Aya. The two were now seperated.  
  
Aya gave up on the grenade launcher and used her remarkable ability to attack the golems using Pyrokenesis. After every time she used it she lost a lot of energy. The flames seemed to have very little effect against the golem's rubber outfits. She became so exhausted she couldn't fight any more. A golem slashed at her with it's plasma blade but missed cause Aya had fallen over.  
  
Logan suddenly felt a rush of energy. His senses had heightened. His sword had started to emit a red light. A flow of mitochondrial cells flowed out of the handle of his sword. The cells formed a blade in symetry to the other. The steel stopped glowing and went back to it's original color. The cells maintained the shape of a sword but continued to flow.  
  
He hit the nearest golem with the metal blade and easily sliced through it. Logan noticed his strength had doubled. He brought the mitochondria blade down onto a golems head and cut off a portion of it. One by one he massacred each golem until there was only one left. His mitochondria cell blade disappeared. Logan threw the sword and it hit the golem's chest and the sword passed through its body, out its back, taking the rib cage with it. Using his mitochondria from his body, Logan was deprived of his energy source and collapsed onto the floor and went unconscious.  
  
Aya rushed over to Logan and checked his pulse. His heart was barely beating. She heard clapping echo throughout the corridor. She looked up to see her worse nightmare. Clapping her humongous hands attached to her long arms she appeared at the opposite end of the corridor. A blue tail where her legs should've been and hovering slightly above the ground, Mitochondria Eve had returned.  
  
  
  
A/N: I hope I described this important chapter well. Give me your thoughts. 


	13. interrogations

A/N: this can be a confusing chapter if you don't follow closely.  
  
"How desperate can one get? You bring the one you love and put him in danger and then you ask for the help of a man who has clearly lost his sanity. For that I must applaud." Eve grinned at Aya.  
  
Aya picked up Logan's sword in her defense. "I must be dreaming. Mitochondria died almost five years ago. I'm looking at a ghost."  
  
"I understand you're point of view. The people who built this place have perfected the art of cloning."  
  
"Why would anyone clone you?" Aya demanded to know.  
  
"I always thought you would catch on faster. It's all in the mitochondria. Just like the time you were drawn to the opera, these men and women were to recreate me."  
  
"You will die. I understand now that it is my destiny to stop you."  
  
"A fight? Not now. Our sister is evolving as we speak. Reaching her full potential. I must be there to guide her through it. So with this I shall leave you." Eve exited through the door where the mutant dogs were.  
  
The doors adjacent to each other at the end of the corridor opened. They flowed like a raging river. ANMC and NMC alike stampeded by the hundreds towards her and Logan. The door behind her opened. Aya ducked directly down to the floor.  
  
Jerome appeared and unleashed a heavy wave of fire with two chain guns, both heavily tied down to his torso giving him support to handle the weight. The creatures dropped by the dozens. While Jerome kept the creatures at bay, Aya dragged Logan by the collar of his shirt under the shower of bullet shells and behind Jerome. Jerome hit the switch and the electronic door began closing.  
  
Jerome hit one buckle on the brace for supporting the chain guns and the entire unit collapsed to the ground. Aya also noticed a snakeskin handle for a gun was sticking out of the back of Jerome's trench coat.  
  
"Ow guy-sh, ow. Help me guy-sh, I'm stuck." An odd yet familiar voice sounded. Aya couldn't believe it. The same human ANMC that attacked them on the surface (the one that could talk) had gotten its head stuck in the electronic door as it was closing. Jerome approached the creature. "Thank you guy-sh." Jerome pointed the barrel of his shotgun between the creature's eyes. "No not that guy-sh. Not..." Jerome pulled the trigger and the creature flew back into the corridor.  
  
Jerome tied the chain guns to his waist and tossed Logan over his shoulder. He walked over to a destroyed hatch and climbed onto the service ladder.  
  
"Wait. Where are you going?" Aya called after him.  
  
"It's very late, or early actually. You're gonna get some sleep."  
  
"This is not the time for a nap. Eve has returned."  
  
"Where is the little girl? If she returned, mission complete. We go home." Jerome climbed the ladder easily while carrying over four hundred pounds of equipment and Logan.  
  
"No, not her..." Aya suddenly realized that Kyle was supposed to be in the shaft but he wasn't there. She didn't want to mention to Jerome that she was trying to save a Golem Soldier. Aya figured he would try and hunt him down.  
  
Jerome opened the hatch on the hatch on sub level two. He set Logan down on the floor. "The door on your right is the armory. The vault is open if you need to stock up. To my left is the sleeping quarter." Jerome picked up Logan again and headed into the sleeping quarters.  
  
Aya decided to arm herself at the armory. She walked in and noticed that the surveillance cameras where all blacked out and the large vault door was open revealing a dream for a terrorist. It was basically a walk in closet with dozens of different weapons. Aya pulled out an automatic assault rifle. She grabbed a few magazines for it and then some clips for her pistol. As she was exploring the vault Jerome walked in and grabbed a small revolver. He smiled at Aya and tapped on a strong box. He walked back out.  
  
Aya opened the strong box Jerome tapped on. Inside there was at least a dozen bars made of solid gold. Aya instinctively tucked two bars away in a pocket. She headed off into the sleeping quarters here Jerome was patiently sitting twirling the revolver in his hand. Logan was laid in a cot and a familiar, balding man was tied by rope in a chair. Aya recognized the man as Arthur Golemsten.  
  
Jerome got out of his chair. "Let the interrogation begin."  
  
"What is all this?" Aya questioned.  
  
"You wanted help knocking down the barrier so here's your help. Mr. Golemsten here runs this place. He'll know how."  
  
"Where's the other guy we hit with a tranquilizer?" Aya asked.  
  
"Yes, where's my assistant?" Arthur chimed in.  
  
"Ah yes. He showed me around Sub level five." Jerome pulled out an ID card. "Brandon Robinson. Was that his name? If you want to see him you can go downstairs and ask the big doggy to cough him up." Jerome showed Golemsten the ID card. "Now, answer my questions and you live to see another day."  
  
"I'll tell you nothing." Golemsten spat at Jerome.  
  
"This isn't the movies. You don't have to spit at the guy questioning you to increase dramatic affect. Now, I'll ask again. Will you cooperate?"  
  
"Go to hell."  
  
"I figured as much. We'll play a game." Jerome cut the ropes tying Arthur to a chair. "Now, one bullet, six chambers. We'll alternate. Aya, if he wins, let him go."  
  
"Jerome, what are you doing?" Aya begged.  
  
"Jerome? Your name is Jerome Michaels?" Golemsten smirked. "She wants to meet you. You two have some sort of bond."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Jerome said furiously although it was obvious he knew exactly what he was talking about.  
  
"You have to be the one who received some of Eves powers. Aren't you..." Golemsten got the wind knocked out of him when Jerome hit him with a powerful punch to the chest.  
  
"She died a long time ago. No point in talking about her like she's alive." Jerome's face was red and a vein was bulging in his neck. "Let the game begin. I'll go first." Jerome put a single bullet in the revolver and spun the chamber. Aya could only watch as Jerome pointed the gun to his temple and pulled the trigger. No bullet came out. "Lucky me." He saw Aya about to protest but he held his hand up to tell her to be silent. "Now how do we shut down the barrier?"  
  
"Why would I know that?"  
  
Jerome pressed the revolver against Golemsten's head. "Wanna rethink your answer."  
  
"I don't know." Golemsten begged.  
  
Jerome pulled the trigger. "Luck is on you're side." He then pulled the trigger on himself and also didn't get shot. "Now, answer the question. No second warnings."  
  
Golemsten began heavily sweating. "You must destroy the source of it."  
  
"What is the source?" Jerome once again pressed hard against Arthur's forehead.  
  
"Eve, Mitochondria Eve."  
  
"Where is she?"  
  
"She moves around a lot. I couldn't tell you." Jerome took this as a lie and pulled the trigger.  
  
Jerome marched past Aya, as she couldn't stop staring at the body lying on the ground in his own blood. Aya took a deep breath and armed herself with a pistol and chased after Jerome. She found him sitting in the army thinking to himself while tapping a pistol against his temple without even having the safety on.  
  
"You're under arrest for the murder of Arthur Golemsten." Aya aimed her pistol right at Jerome.  
  
"You won't arrest me."  
  
"I'm doing my job."  
  
"I was doing my job. You asked me to help you find out how to take down the barrier and that's exactly what I did."  
  
"You didn't have to kill the man."  
  
Jerome got up and faced Aya. "I'm gonna hear to things. Either a bullet from that gun or your footsteps heading out the door. How about some encouragement? 3...better do something...2...if you stand still you're gonna get hurt...1...times up."  
  
Aya pulled the trigger. 


	14. who's to blame?

A/N:I believe this has been a long anticipated chapter. Sorry to make you wait so long after leaving you with that cliffhanger. This will be the second to last chapter so bear with me. Oh and...Steelers beat the Browns Woohoo!  
  
Jerome froze, shocked that she had actually shot him in the chest. In a sudden motion he disarmed Aya and slammed her against the wall. He pulled his shotgun out and quickly shot her directly in the chest from point blank range. "You're wearing a vest. What makes you think I wouldn't be wearing one? I'll just come to the conclusion that you knew I was wearing one and you were warning me. I'll be around and don't bother me. I am currently finding myself to be easily agitated." At this he stormed out of the room.  
  
Aya dropped to the floor. The force of the blast crushed her against the wall and took her breath away. She quickly became very tired and passed out cold.  
  
It appeared to be another vision that she has had before. For some reason she could only see black and white. She found herself at the back row of a church during a wedding. The couple at the alter had both recently exchanged their vows and now the groom was placing a gold band on the brides ring finger. Aya suddenly realized that she saw the ring was gold in a black and white environment.  
  
"Aya." A voice whispered her name. "Aya wake up."  
  
Aya was rushed back to reality as she opened her eyes. Logan, looking very groggy, was gently shaking her. Aya immediately wrapped her arms around him.  
  
Logan didn't understand it but he let her cling to him. After a few minutes he broke the silence. "We have to go. There's a dead body in the other room indicating there are monsters loose."  
  
"The only real monster loose is Jerome," Aya informed.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Jerome is a maniac. He killed that man and almost killed himself."  
  
"Well, You knew that he wasn't really playing cards with a full deck when you first met him."  
  
Aya snickered at this. "Can we just go get Eve and get out of here?" Logan agreed.  
  
Instead of climbing the Service latter down to sub level 5 the traditional way, Logan decided to slide down. "Hey, where's Kyle?" He asked Aya, who was still climbing down.  
  
"He disappeared."  
  
"Great," Logan exclaimed. "I knew this would happen."  
  
"That's the last of our worries today." Aya finally made it down to join Logan. They were in the small hall between the large door leading to the corridor and two doors that lead into a corridor split by a thin wall. Between the two doors was a monitor that Aya didn't notice before.  
  
The monitor displayed the map of the floor they were on. This however was flooding with red dots. These dots indicated creatures. Beyond the two doors were massive amounts of creatures. The doors between the two corridors were open, allowing the creatures free access to both. The corridor where she encountered the Golem Soldiers and Mitochondria Eve was totally entered.  
  
She hit an arrow pointing up on a panel and Sub level four was displayed. This much smaller level was swarming in creatures too. She went up to sub level two, where they were just at and it was also begging to fill with creatures.  
  
"What in the hell is happening?" Logan made a tight grip on the two assault rifles he armed himself with.  
  
"We're being trapped." Aya stared at floor after floor, all overflowing with creatures.  
  
"Well, I guess there is only one door to go to." Logan pointed into the same corridor where he used up all his strength to protect both of their lives.  
  
"Exactly where she wants us to go." Aya took a deep breath.  
  
"Who is she?"  
  
"Mitochondria Eve. She wants us out of her way."  
  
"I don't know who that is but I'll figure I don't need to know right now. I guess we got to do what we got to do."  
  
The two of them entered the corridor together. As suspected, Mitochondria Eve was there. She was also along with Eve, who was silent and looked just like she did before she was kidnapped except she appeared to be in some sort of a trance.  
  
"I'm not warning you again." Aya pointed the rifle at Mitochondria Eve. "Surrender."  
  
"Surrender?" Mitochondria Eve began laughing out loud. "After I surrender what would you do with me?" She laughed even louder.  
  
"Get the girl and get the hell out of here." Jerome entered quietly then ordered Logan and Aya. "The bitch is going to die from my bullet."  
  
Aya stared at the rage locked in Jerome's dark green eyes. He focused upon his target in total hatred. Aya backed away from him, knowing he had become unpredictable and highly dangerous.  
  
Jerome fired upon Mitochondria Eve with his Shotgun and missed her by a great distance. He fired again but missed, as if Mitochondria Eve anticipated every attack.  
  
"Stop!" Aya yelled at him. "You could hit Eve!"  
  
Jerome wasn't listening. He fired again and missed, this one coming very close to hitting young Eve.  
  
"Jerome," Mitochondria Eve calmly addressed him. "We share the same mitochondria, allowing me to know exactly what you are planning to do. It's useless. I ask you to give me back my mitochondria powers, for I am not complete without yours. You must be willing or extremely weak for it to happen."  
  
"Dodge this," Jerome muttered as he tossed his shotgun aside and pulled off his trench coat, which hit the ground in a metallic clatter. He unlatched a chain gun attached to his belt and thigh and aimed it directly at Mitochondria Eve.  
  
Before he could fire a single bullet Aya dove on top of him and knocked him down onto the floor. "Listen, if one bullet grazes a single hair on my sister I will put a bullet between your eyes."  
  
"What's holding you back from doing it now? If I'm dead she can't get the powers I hold. Put that bullet into my head."  
  
Aya pointed her pistol at his face, while listening to repeated encouragement from Jerome. She squeezed the trigger but at the same time was knocked back by a powerful hit from Mitochondria Eve. The bullet cut through Jerome's earlobe.  
  
Aya began firing at Mitochondria Eve with her assault rifle but was restrained from behind by Eve, her younger sister. Aya could not escape the incredibly strength of Eve. Logan ran up to help Aya but was launched back by a powerful energy blast from Eve. Logan got back up but once again was hit backwards.  
  
"Jerome, you blame so harshly for the death of your wife." Mitochondria Eve pretended to be heart felt. "It wasn't my fault." Aya was appalled at this statement.  
  
"No," Jerome was obviously getting extremely angry. "Don't even say it wasn't your fault. Then you'll say it wasn't your fault for my daughter."  
  
"I hope you wouldn't remind me of your unborn child. Her mitochondria told me she was never destined to survive birth. If you wish to blame someone for their murders blame Aya Brea."  
  
"Jerome, don't listen to her. She is messing with your head. She's turning you..." Aya was cut off by Eve who put a hand over Aya's mouth.  
  
"Your wife was part of the cells that assisted in the birth of my son in 1997. She was still very much alive in that state, just combined with many others. She would have changed back when I no longer needed protection. It was a nuclear missile that killed everyone. The missile launched by Aya."  
  
Jerome laughed making Aya very nervous. Logan made yet another failed attempt to free Aya.  
  
"Do you actually think I would've bought that load of bullshit?" Jerome chuckled some more. "I think you gonna die." Jerome aimed his chain gun at her again.  
  
"I'll prove it." Mitochondria Eve went into deep concentration. A wave of energy swept the area.  
  
Aya felt like she lit up on fire inside. Logan was also feeling the effects. Jerome on the other hand could not resist as well. He was beginning to melt down but fought it as hard as he could. The pressure increased. Aya was beginning to feel pain and Logan ignited on fire. He had to go to the farthest corner away from Mitochondria Eve and he couldn't leave. Jerome had melted down, along with his weapons and clothes.  
  
The energy pressure disappeared. Eve released Aya and moved away. From the puddle of ooze, a figure began rising. Jerome quickly returned to normal, fully dressed and carrying three of his weapons; two magnums and the snake-skin handled gun which Aya wasn't at the angle to see any more of it.  
  
"It's true," Jerome admitted. "I was still completely alive. I even had conscious thought." He turned to Aya and pointed a magnum at her. "You killed so many. Now you will pay a visit to hell."  
  
Logan darted into view and kicked the magnum out of Jerome's hand. He then did a roundhouse kick across Jerome's face and knocked him to the ground. Logan put a knee to Jerome's chest and aimed on of his assault rifles at Jerome's face. "What the hell are you doing?" Logan demanded out of him.  
  
Jerome didn't answer. Instead he pushed the gun barrel away from him and punched Logan hard across the face. The rifle skidded away from the two.  
  
"Freeze," Jerome, ordered Logan, who was reaching for his other rifle. "Want to play quick draw or have a little sword fight?" Jerome was resting his right hand on his other magnum. He grabbed the snakeskin-handled weapon and pulled it out from behind him. Instead of a gun barrel coming after the trigger came a long, wide blade.  
  
"What in the hell is that?" Logan said, keeping his right hand close to the assault rifle.  
  
"No. 9 used a gunblade. I guess I found one of his old ones."  
  
Logan grabbed the rifle but a bullet ripped the tip of his index finger off. He wailed in pain. Logan pulled his sword out of its sheath. Aya was about to interfere but was once again restrained by Eve. Mitochondria Eve wanted to see the oncoming fight.  
  
The two blades clashed together in each other's initial attack. Logan was backed off when Jerome released a shot from his gunblade. Logan lunged at Jerome. Jerome made a sidestep as Logan went past him. Jerome kicked him in the back and sent him to the floor. Logan dropped his sword as it scooted a couple feet out of his reach. He reached for it with his left hand, his right was in intense pain, but Jerome stomped down on it as hard as he could. The crunching of the bones echoed throughout the corridor, followed by Logan's earsplitting scream.  
  
"I expected more of a fight out of you." Jerome put his entire wait on Logan's broken hand. "I guess you'll have to..."  
  
Jerome was cut off when Logan quickly jammed his saber into Jerome's leg with his right hand. Logan, barely able to grip it, grabbed his sword and jammed it into Jerome's abdomen.  
  
Jerome dropped to his knees after Logan withdrew his sword. He coughed up some blood and fell back.  
  
"Kill him Logan!" Aya yelled out. "Kill him or Eve will get his powers!" Eve covered Aya's mouth.  
  
Logan raised his sword above Jerome's heart.  
  
"Move," Jerome spat out. Logan refused. "Get out of the way," he warned again.  
  
Before Logan realized it, No. 9 grabbed him around the throat. A long needle was jammed into the back of his neck and was injected with a toxin. No. 9 tossed Logan to the side and laughed maniacally until a bullet blasting through his head cut him off. Nine dropped lifelessly to the floor.  
  
Jerome laid on the floor, shakily holding out his magnum. "Stay dead you bastard." He coughed up more blood then passed out.  
  
Mitochondria Eve approached Jerome like the grim reaper attacking its next victim. She placed her hand over his wound and took a deep breath. Jerome began having violent spasms. He stopped when she was done. Mitochondria Eve was once again at her strongest. 


	15. escape

A/N: okay, last chapter. Be sure to check out the epilogue that should already be posted after this, where everything will be wrapped up and you get to see deleted scenes (featuring the reoccurring talking human ANMC) and a look at a possible sequel.  
  
Aya dropped to her knees when she was released by Eve. She looked around for help. Jerome was apparently dead and Logan keeps having fits of painful spasms.  
  
Aya reached for one of Logan's guns but was sent backwards by an energy blast from her the young Eve. It sent her back but Aya was surprised at how little it actually harmed her. Aya realized at that moment Eve had not evolved at all. She was channeling energy from Mitochondria Eve, and was strictly under mind control, just what she did to Jerome. Kidnapping Eve had nothing to do with restoring her powers. It was to lure Aya into a death trap.  
  
"I have waited for this moment for a long time." Mitochondria Eve lifted Aya up by her neck and began strangling her. "I now will become the ultimate life form on this planet, only to be succeeded by my son."  
  
Aya felt the life draining out of her. She was cut off from oxygen and was losing her grip on reality. She remembered her last fight with Mitochondria Eve. She had a strong weapon then. Also, she knew that the Ultimate Being would return, and the only known way to stop him was to plant Aya's mitochondria into its system. If she were to die, there would be no stopping the Earth's takeover. Aya would give anything for a single bullet with her mitochondria inside. All she had was a pistol with one useless clip.  
  
Aya, using her last ounces of strength clenched her hand around Mitochondria Eve's wrist. She lifted her pistol out of its holster and fired a single bullet through her hand, and into Eve.  
  
Aya was released, gasping for air. Mitochondria Eve held her wound. "You bitch!" She wailed in pain and fell to the ground.  
  
Aya stayed thereon her knees, still trying to catch her breath. She was suddenly clutched around the waist. Eve was got on her knees beside Aya and hugged her. Mitochondria Eve rose from the ground, but her appearance had drastically altered. She was no longer Mitochondria Eve anymore; she was Melissa Pearce. Aya's rebellious mitochondria eliminated had let Melissa return to her original human form.  
  
Melissa and Aya stared at each other. "Where am I?" Melissa questioned.  
  
"Nowhere," Aya replied. "We're leaving." Aya got up and faced Melissa with Eve still clinging to her.  
  
"How? This place is surrounded by creatures." Melissa informed.  
  
"How did you know that?"  
  
"I'm not sure. I think I just sense it."  
  
"Logan?" Eve spoke for the first time.  
  
Aya looked over to the end of the corridor. Logan was still conscious but in a lot of pain. She ran over to him and helped him to his feet. "Are you okay?"  
  
"No," he replied and vomited on the floor.  
  
Melissa handed Aya an assault rifle that was on the floor. She then put Logan's arm around her shoulders to help him stay upright.  
  
"Is he gonna be okay?" Eve asked Aya.  
  
"I think so," Aya tried to comfort her.  
  
The four made their way through the door, leading to the hall containing the service ladder. Aya walked up to the monitor and saw that every level was cramped with creatures. Even the two corridors in front of them were crowded, the right with 3 times as many creatures as the left.  
  
"Is there any escape?" Melissa questioned.  
  
"Uh," Aya hesitated. "If we can get through one of these corridors there is an emergency exit at the other end. But if we go into one, the open doors will allow even more creatures to come at us from the opposite corridor. Besides, there are too many creatures in the left one to begin with. We're trapped."  
  
At this moment the door behind them opened, frightening the small group. Jerome came in crawling, dragging a chain gun with him. Using all of his remaining strength he made himself stand and walk to the monitor. Aya quickly tried to block Jerome's line of sight towards Melissa, afraid he would strike.  
  
Jerome reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. He laid them on the monitor as he finished looking and struggled through the door on the right, into the corridor with many more creatures. Nobody attempted to stop him.  
  
The loud firing of the chain gun was heard. Aya picked up the keys to the monitor. It was a large collection of keys but most importantly there were the keys to his truck. A peculiar thing about the keys was the golden center ring. Aya discovered it to be the wedding band she had seen in her dream. She had witnessed Jerome's wedding.  
  
"Look," Logan spat out as he pointed to the monitor.  
  
The creatures from the left corridor were being drawn to the right by the loud commotion. "Let's move," Aya ordered. She grabbed Eve's hand and opened the door.  
  
Unfortunately the creatures left in the corridor were the ones that couldn't get through the low doorways. However, they were still gazing through the doors to witness the scene.  
  
The four reached the end of the corridor without confrontation. Aya hit the button to open the door. It didn't open. She hit it again with the same result. Jerome's firing stopped.  
  
A giant mutant alligator caught sight of them and charged. Aya fired the assault rifle at it but the recoil caused her wounded hand immense pain and she dropped the gun. The creature struck its tail at Aya. Aya dodged it but instead the tail hit Eve, sending Eve away from Aya. The alligator creature lunged towards Eve. Aya instinctively dived on the creatures back to keep it from getting Eve.  
  
Melissa was on her knees trying to get Logan, who had fallen unconscious, to wake up. The door in front of her suddenly opened up. A golem soldier stood in the doorway. The golem swiftly moved past Melissa and picked up the assault rifle.  
  
Kyle fired at the creature the moment it managed to toss Aya off its back. He aimed for the creatures bottom side, where it's skin wasn't like armor. He also circled it to get over to Eve. His ammo ran out at the same time the creature fell to its death. Kyle took a deep breath and removed his mask in order to show himself to Eve.  
  
Eve wrapped her arms around him and gave him a tight hug. She let go and the two began heading towards the open door where Aya, Melissa, and Logan were waiting for them. The two of them didn't see it coming. A gigantic purple centipede swiftly moved towards the two. In one strike it put Kyle's upper torso in its mouth. Eve grabbed his left ankle and tried to pull him out. The resistance she added allowed the creature's sharp teeth to rip Kyle's upper body away from the lower body. The centipede swallowed the torso as Eve stared, still clutching the ankle.  
  
Aya ran up and removed Eve's grip from the leg and carried her out of the room. The four of them climbed the emergency escape staircase as fast as they could. Logan was still unconscious, and his heart had begun to beat very loud and very fast.  
  
They pushed open a steel door at the top and found themselves at the edge of the small town. Suddenly Logan began a seizure. Aya and Melissa held him down, not sure what else there was to do. Logan stopped and both Aya and Melissa got under Logan's shoulders, opposite of each other. They quickly trekked into the town, searching for Jerome's truck. Aya spotted Jerome's truck, and they raced over to it.  
  
Logan was heaved into the truck bed and Aya got in with him. She handed Melissa the keys and she got into the driver's seat, with Eve next to her.  
  
The ground violently shook. Aya stared in fright at a 2-story building. The building then smashed down. In its rubble a giant, ugly creature stood. It had a mechanical flamethrower implanted in its mouth. "Move it," Aya yelled. Melissa frantically shuffled through the keys until she finally found the right one. She started the engine and floored the gas pedal, escaping a huge flame that was directed at them.  
  
The creature followed, at an amazing pace due to its long footsteps. The truck reached 90 m/h and gained a steady lead among the beast. They broke into the open meadow, where the entire squad of marines was waiting for the creature. Melissa drove a far distance from the marines and stopped.  
  
The creature erupted into the meadow, greeted by an onslaught of bullets. It released a gigantic stream of flames, hitting ¾ of the soldiers. Some of the soldiers collapsed, others were running frantically, still ignited on fire, then finally collapsing. A marine ran up to the creature carrying a rocket launcher. He fired it and it hit the beast directly. The flammable fuel within the beast ignited and created a huge explosion. Any man near was killed or severely burnt.  
  
A medical jeep rushed up to the truck. "Do you have any injured?" one of the two medics asked.  
  
"Yes, Logan has been poisoned." Aya pointed to Logan, who was sweating and having slight convulsions. "What about all those men who are burnt?"  
  
"We've been informed that you people are first priority." Then second medic informed. "We have others who will take care of them."  
  
Logan was hoisted on a stretcher, and was being rolled to the back of the jeep. He had been hooked up to an IV and a heart monitor. He awakened and looked up at Aya who was following him. "I know I don't say it enough," he hesitated, "but I lo...." The heart monitor flat-lined as he was hoisted into the back of the jeep. A medic was frantically giving him CPR as Logan was taken out of sight.  
  
  
  
Aya peered at the destruction as she stepped outside of the tent. Her hand had a fresh bandage and she was slightly under the influence of painkillers. She had just finished arguing with a leading officer about Melissa. They wanted to arrest her and Aya had spent an hour convincing them not to.  
  
Aya stared at the bodies, still being carried away. The squad was diminished from nearly a 100 to 14 men. Back up had been called for to secure the area. Aya then noticed someone leaning up against a cage. It was Pierce.  
  
She approached him and saw that Pierce looked very pleased with himself. In the cage was a sedated human ANMC. "Where in the hell did you get that?" Aya stared at the creature.  
  
"Me and a volunteer went in after the barrier went down. This little guy walked up to us and actually talked. I think he's a new breed they were working on. It even has the ability to regenerate. It was shot 3 times after it bit the volunteer, yet it has fully recovered."  
  
Aya stared in at the creature. It suddenly woke and gazed up at Aya. "Hi guy-sh."  
  
"I don't believe it," Aya whispered.  
  
"I'll have to do some tests to prove my theory but this guy will help us learn new ways to fight against these incidents."  
  
"Tests? Guy-sh, I don't like tests. Make me think hard. That hurts." The creature protested. "It hurts like this guy." The creature banged its head up against the cage. "Ha ha, I'm a rhino, guy-sh."  
  
-The epilogue is next, read it now- 


	16. one week later

Epilogue, one week later  
  
Aya Brea has seriously considered retirement from the FBI but something keeps her there. She is currently taking a leap of absence.  
  
Eve hasn't spoken a single word since she witnessed Kyle's death. He saved her life on many occasions and she couldn't do the same for him once. She has not gone back to school yet and is very reluctant to ever go back.  
  
Logan Samuels was transported to a hospital in Pierre, South Dakota. Here doctors fought the toxin, but unfortunately Logan slipped into a coma and died two days later. Aya didn't go to the funeral. His grave is only a half a mile away from her apartment yet she refuses to go there.  
  
Jerome Michaels was presumed dead, even though the only remains of him found was a blood stained chain gun. He is thought to have been eaten by the creatures that he couldn't kill.  
  
Melissa Pearce was discovered to still has evolved mitochondria that remains dormant within her. She decided to train to become a member of MIST, so she would be under the supervision of the specialists and she would also be able to live her life.  
  
The shelter was once again brought into a large cover up operation. The families of the fallen marines (including Wayne's) were told heroic fairy tales about how they fought against terrorists in a bloody battle. The case has been classified as closed.  
  
A possible sequel  
  
Alright, here is an idea for a sequel.  
  
Murders have broken out across the nation. All victims were either active or former Marines, Navy men, Army men, or NYPD. Plus, the President was assassinated along with a couple of his advisors. What do they all have in common? All had special knowledge of any of the Mitochondria incidents. Rupert is the first to figure this out, but is it to late to save the lives of all the MIST agents, who have yet to been attacked. Plus, it is later discovered that there is another shelter in the United States, and a dozen more across the planet. The Golem Soldiers have a new leader and he is striving for world dominance, using what remains of the technology they have. The leader is also the first of a new breed of Golem Soldiers that are more mobile and have the ability to use many different weapons.  
  
If you don't like all that then take note that the talking human ANMC will be around for your amusement.  
  
  
  
The reoccurring talking human ANMC, commonly known by me as Dylan  
  
Yes, some of you might have noticed the comedy relief in this story known as Dylan, the talking, reoccurring human ANMC. He was removed from many scenes in this story due to the fact that I wanted to keep this serious. Here are the deleted scenes.  
  
(Aya investigates the plastic explosives in the bag from Jerome's truck)  
  
Dylan runs up and says "gum! Give me guy-sh!" and snags a piece of the plastic explosives and runs up next to a building and taunts them like a dog that fetched a ball. Logan takes aim with the sniper rifle but misses and hits an electrical wire. Dylan goes in for a close look at the sparking wires with the explosive in his mouth..........BOOM!  
  
(When Aya firsts arrives at the Armory)  
  
Dylan is seen on a surveillance monitor doing the river-dance by himself.  
  
(After elevator crashes, Aya has blurred vision)  
  
Aya's eyes focus to see Dylan staring at her, drooling and his face only 3 inches away from her face. Aya screams, Dylan screams. They both shut up and stare a little longer. Then Dylan runs away.  
  
(Sub level 7, in the hall after code yellow sounds)  
  
Dylan is seen racing up and down the hall yelling, "We're free. The day is ours. We're free!" Logan takes his pistol and shoots Dylan in the leg. Dylan limps over to a narrow vent and crawls in. After a couple of moments Dylan echoes through the vent "guy-sh, help me guy-sh. I'm stuck."  
  
(Random time in the service ladder chute with Kyle)  
  
"So guy-sh, you think she'll go out with me." Dylan asked Kyle's unconscious body. "I think she likes me. She gave me gum. Then she saw how caring I was when I checked on her after the elevator crashed, guy-sh. I'm much better than that bastard that keeps shooting me."  
  
He stared at Kyle, looking for some kind of response.  
  
"Well, I think I love her, even though we just met." He paused and stared at Kyle. "You're a great guy, you know that guy-sh? You don't judge me like some of those bastards out there, guy-sh. You're my best friend."  
  
(Logan is fighting off the Golem Soldiers on sub level 5 with his mitochondria sword)  
  
Dylan watches and chants out loud "Let the bodies hit the floor, let the bodies hit the floor, let..." when a severed golem arm flies over and cuts his legs off. He hops up on his hands and walks on them out the nearest door.  
  
(Armory, just after Jerome kills Golemsten)  
  
Jerome is found drinking a large bottle of whiskey, sitting in a chair. Dylan runs up out of nowhere and cries "gimme the booze!" and steals the bottle. Instead of drinking it he pours the whole bottle all over himself in an attempt to pour it all in his mouth slowly. Jerome ignites the alcohol with a lighter and Dylan runs out of the door screaming.  
  
(Immediately after Kyle saves Eve)  
  
Dylan is screaming out while waving a cowboy hat around and riding the giant centipede that comes up and kills Kyle. 


End file.
